Oxide Component in the Nickel Base Cermet Anode: Its Effect on the Performance of SOFCs

Anode performances in electrode reactions and in hydrogen producing reactions of propane fuel were investigated for four cermet anodes of Ni-YSZ, Ni-ScSZ, Ni-SDC, and Ni-CeO2 under open circuit voltage (OCV) condition. Electrode reaction process was essentially the same for the Ni-YSZ and the Ni-ScSZ anodes and for the Ni-SDC and the Ni-CeO2 anodes, respectively, but there was a clear difference between Ni-zirconia cermet anodes and Ni-ceria cermet anodes. From the X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) results, conditions of adsorbed oxygen on the nickel surface were different between the Ni/YSZ system and the Ni/GDC system, although the surface conditions of nickel metal were not influenced by the oxide component.